Education in Romania

Overview

Gaining access to education can be a serious challenge for people in Romania, and especially the vulnerable groups. Statistics show that the education enrollment ratio decreases as age increases, as on average, 4% of those who have the legal age do not attend school, most often because of poverty. Depending on the gender, enrolment based on the type of education is similar. The exception is for higher education, where only 33% of males continue their studies, compared to 37% for the females.

The national educational system includes authorized or certified public, private and confessional education units. The education institutions are managed by the local authorities. The state ensures equal access to all levels and forms of pre-university and higher education, as well as to lifelong learning, without any form of discrimination, to Romanian citizens, as well as to the citizens of the other European Union member states, of the states belonging to the European Economic Area and of the Swiss Confederation.
Third country nationals (TCNs) with a legal resident in Romania have unrestricted access to schooling and educational activities performed in the country. If they have secured a long-term residence permit, they have access to all forms and levels of education and vocational training, including scholarships. They can also get equivalence for their education and recognition of their certificates and degrees, vocational certificates, and professional certifications, in compliance with applicable regulations.
The main challenges identified in accessing the educational system are related to language barriers; recognition of diplomas and/or learning certificates; lack of material resources – this was emphasized by Covid 19 pandemic especially in the case of families with low incomes; cultural differences. In case of beneficiaries of a form of international protection the main challenge is that many do not have any record issued by the school9s) that they have attended in the country of origin. 

The public system is free, and the language of instruction in public schools is Romanian. There are also educational institutions in which the teaching language is different from Romanian (e.g. German, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, etc.), respectively the languages of national minorities in Romania.  

Under the Education Law the general mandatory education in Romania is 10 grades and includes primary, secondary and high-school education.
The levels of education given in Romania in Romanian-tuition schools: 

• The national pre-university system comprises the following levels: 
  • Early education (0-6 years), which includes: 
    • Ante-preschool level (0-3 years) – nursery;
    • Preschool level (3-6 years), where there are three levels – youngest group, middle group and oldest group; 
  • Primary education, which includes: 
    • The preparatory classes  (grade 0) (6 year old);
    • Grades I-IV (7 – 11 years old);
  • Secondary education, which includes: 
    • Lower secondary education:  grades V-VIII; 
    • Higher secondary education, or high-school: grades IX-XII, along one of the following lines: theoretical, vocational or technological; 
  • Vocational education – has a duration of 3 years and can be followed by those who have passed the VIIIth grade. After finishing it, a qualification in the field (eg mechanic, electrician, etc.) is obtained; 
  • Tertiary non-university education – has a duration of between 1 and 3 years and provides a professional qualification in fields such as: computer science, agriculture, health, economics, tourism, etc. 
  • The national higher education – is organised in universities (of state and private accredited), academies, or schools of superior studies, and the system has 3 levels of university studies: 
    • Bachelor’s degree studies – 3 or 4 years in length;
    • Master’s degree studies – 1 or 2 years in length; 
    • Doctoral degree studies – 3 years in length. 

Foreigners who obtained a form of protection in Romania have access to all forms of education under the same conditions established by law for Romanian citizens. If they register in the Integration Program coordinated by GII they have access to Romanian language courses and orientation sessions.  As per the applicable legal framework in place the county School Inspectorates are organizing Romanian language courses for all migrants legally residing in the country. The registration is done throughout the calendar year, and the attendance can continue throughout the next school year, as appropriate. At the end of the preparatory course for learning the Romanian language, a commission appointed by the Ministry of National Education evaluates and issues, free of charge, a certificate of linguistic competence, a document attesting the level of knowledge of the Romanian language. The courses may also be organized by NGOs or other entities providing assistance to migrants (e.g. International Organizations, universities). The migrants may undergo the exams organized by the Ministry of Education irrespective of the entity that support them in learning the language.  

Covid-19

Since March 2020, online learning has been provided for students in Romania. Face-to-face learning restarted on the 2^nd of June. Schools reopened only for learners in the last year of lower and upper secondary programmes to help prepare for the national exams. For learners with personal or family health problems, attendance is optional and decided by parents; online training replaces physical classes in this situation. Online education has revealed its potential for modernising and diversifying teaching and learning methods along with challenges in terms of developing digital competence and teaching approaches. 

Covid-19 pandemic also had an impact on the access to the educational system in case of migrant children, both BIPs and TCNs. The education services shifted the teaching to online and this furthers the inequalities in the access to education of children from disadvantaged families who lack the technology and have no or poor Internet connection. Online education met the needs of children with no access to these services only to a limited extent.